The 7/8/04 Southwest Wisconsin Tour

• Jack (Dad-in-law) on his '96 Shadow ACE
• David (Bro'-in-law) on a rented '04 Heritage Softtail
• Danno on a rented '04 Roadking

See the route map below.

The PICS

Where we rode:
Over ~220 miles through Jack's old stompin' grounds, in Southwest Wisconsin... We picked up the rentals in Sauk Prairie.

(from Jacks's notes)

The street fronting the Sauk City Harley shop is both Hwy 12 and Hwy 60, so from the shop, go left on that street, turning left to stay on Hwy 60 when Hwy 12 veers north. Take Hwy 60 to Spring Green, then turn left onto Hwy 23, going south through Dodgeville and connecting to Hwy 151. Take Hwy 151 south past Mineral Point to Hwy A which exits Hwy 151 to the left but then swings around to head west. From there, Hwy A will take you through Rewey and eventually to Lancaster where we stopped for lunch. From Lancaster, take Hwy 81 southwest from the square at Lancaster which will take you to Cassville for a view of the Mississippi River and the car ferry. From Cassvile, head north on Hwy W to Nelson Dewey State Park (watch for the signs) for more views. Once back onto Hwy W, go north to Hwy V. Turn right onto Hwy V , then turn left after a mile or so, onto Hwy V V. Take Hwy V V north to Hwy A. Turn left onto Hwy A and proceed northwesterly. Beyond Bagley take Hwy X to Wyalusing and Wyalusing State Park for views of the confluence of the Mississippi and Wisconsin Rivers. Leaving the park, take Hwy C east, then left onto Hwy 35 which will take you across the Wisconsin River and on in to Prairie du Chien (Prairie of the dogs). If interested in setting foot on state of Iowa soil, take Hwy 27 to Marquette (a left turn in downtown Priairie du Chien) which will put you on a series of 3(?) bridges to cross over the Mississippi into that state.

Returning to Wisconsin, turn right onto Hwy 35, retracing your steps to get to Hwy 60 going east. For a number of Wisconsin River views take Hwy 60 east all the way to Sauk City, or, if going to Madison, get on Hwy 14 at Gotham. Hwy 14 becomes University Ave. of Madison at the intersection of Hwy 14 and Hwy 12.

We caught a little rain as we returned the bikes the next morning. No problem.

From the ride...

• The Roadking was sweet (Danno).
• Don't stand on the shores of the Mississippi, at Cassville, unless you want the ferry to chug over and offer you a ride.
• Brittany joined us for returning the bikes on Friday.

Side notes:

• Bagley is an ideal place to retire, right on the Mississippi River!
• A short tour through Mineral Point, an historic site, might be worthwhile.